Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_brighamia_insignis
ʻŌlulu
Brighamia insignis
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About ʻŌlulu
ʻŌlulu is a remarkable cliff-dwelling Hawaiian lobelioid historically endemic to Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. After its likely moth pollinator disappeared, NTBG botanists Steve Perlman and Ken Wood rappelled to hand-pollinate flowers and collect seed. The last known wild Kauaʻi plant disappeared by 2020, but descendants survive in managed collections because of that conservation work.
Kauaʻi evidence
Historic occurrence, cliff habitat, hand pollination, seed collection, ex situ survival, and wild disappearance are supported by NTBG, Bishop Museum, and peer-reviewed conservation literature.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Brighamia insignis
- Common names
- Cabbage-on-a-Stick · Hawaiian Palm
- Hawaiian names
- ʻōlulu · ālula · hāhā · pū aupaka
- Family
- Campanulaceae
- Order
- Asterales
- Record type
- Species or taxonomic group
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Historically native on Kauaʻi; extinct in the wild by 2020; persists in ex situ conservation collections
- Origin
- Endemic
- Conservation status
- Extinct in the wild on Kauaʻi (PEPP 2025); IUCN Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct in the Wild
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-27
- Evidence limits
- The historic range and disappearance from the wild are well supported; the exact extinct or missing moth pollinator has not been identified conclusively.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Sea cliffs · Dry to mesic cliff habitat
- Food and resource needs
- Light, water, nutrients, and suitable soil or substrate
- Reproduction
- Cross-pollination between genetically compatible plants, viable seed, safeguarded ex situ collections, and suitable protected establishment sites
- Shelter
- Suitable soil, substrate, and vegetation structure
- Growth form
- Succulent shrub
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Loss of effective pollination · Extremely small and isolated populations · Hurricanes, landslides, and rockfall · Goats and invasive vegetation · Slugs, rats, collectors, and carmine spider mites
- Conservation actions
- Maintain genetically managed ex situ collections · Continue controlled cross-pollination and seed banking · Protect and restore suitable cliff habitat · Evaluate carefully managed reintroduction and outplanting
- Monitoring
- Track pedigree, genetic representation, flowering, pollination success, seed viability, living-collection health, and any future restoration populations
- Data gaps
- The identity of the historic effective pollinator remains unresolved · Long-term feasibility and safeguards for reintroduction require continued evaluation
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Long, pale yellow, fragrant flowers exhibit a moth-pollination syndrome; managed hand pollination is timed to the flower’s male and female phases.
- Seasonal description
- ʻŌlulu is a remarkable cliff-dwelling Hawaiian lobelioid historically endemic to Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. After its likely moth pollinator disappeared, NTBG botanists Steve Perlman and Ken Wood rappelled to hand-pollinate flowers and collect seed. The last known wild Kauaʻi plant disappeared by 2020, but descendants survive in managed collections because of that conservation work.
Sources and further reading
- https://ntbg.org/database/plants/detail/brighamia-insignis
- https://ntbg.org/news/the-generations-long-effort-to-save-hawaiis-favorite-cliff-dweller/
- https://plantsofhawaii.org/detail/%7B1058C8A6-F8F3-44B8-A6BB-A4DEBCA46330%7D
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9575128/
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2019.151416